Midget ice boat



March 20, 1962 P. ELLAM MIDGET ICE BOAT 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 27, 1961 INVENTOR. PATR/CK [LL/4M A TTOBNE Y LQL i w l I 1 i:, II

March 20, 1962 Filed Jan. 27, 1961 P. ELLAM MIDGET ICE BOAT 5 Sheets$heet 2 INVENTOR. PATRICK ELL BYWW ATTOE/VE' Y March 20, 1962 P. ELLAM 3,026,121

' MIDGET ICE BOAT Filed Jan. 27, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVEN TOR. FATE/CK ELLA/M BYWM- ATTORNEY 3,926,121 Patented Mar. 20, 1962 ,1 ilC 3,026,121 MIDGET ICE BOAT Patrick Eilani, 314 Livingston Ave., Mamaroneck, N.Y. Filed Jan. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 85,293 Claims. (13!. 289-16) The ice boat of this invention is a midget ice boat in which the boat structure comprises a single fore and aft hull plank attached at its after end to a transverse runner plank in a T formation, steering is accomplished by a transverse rudder bar attached to a forward rudder runner and operated by the feet, sail trimming is simplified and its labor reduced by a control lever coupled to a single part sheet, and maximum vertical and horizontal stability is achieved by a close relationship of the center of gravity of boat plus load, the center of the equilateral triangle represented by the pivotal points of the three runners, and the center of efiort of the sail.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the ice boat and lower portions of its mast, sail and rigging.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the ice boat.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the interchangeable runner.

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged section taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a reduced profile of the ice boat showing the relationship of the center of gravity, the center of the equilateral triangle represented by the pivotal points of the three runners and the center of effort of the sail.

FIG. 8 is a partially exploded elevational view of the mast.

FIG. 9 is a section taken on line 9-9 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the mast batten seat.

FIG. 11 is a diagram of the standing rigging as viewed from the bow.

Referring to the drawings:

Hull plank 5 is mounted at its after end on the top of runner plank 8 transversely and centrally thereof in a T formation, with its after semi-circular end 6 projecting from runner plank 8, and said two members are secured together by bolts and nuts.

Cleat 7, conforming in size and shape to the projecting semi-circular end 6 of hull plank 5, is secured to the underside of the latter with its forward edge bearing against the after edge of runner plank 8, to buttress the latter against shocks encountered when the runners hit obstructions.

Seat 10 is secured on top of hull plank 5 and extends forwardly from the line of forward edge 9 of runner plank 8. In this seat area and extending aft to the after edge of runner plank 8, the full width of hull plank 5 is retained to support the weight of the helmsman. Forwardly from seat 10, hull plank 5 is tapered to its end to provide the springing action necessary for forward rudder runner 12.

Likewise, the full Width of runner plank 8 is retained in its central section underneath hull plank 5 to support the weight of the helmsman and is thence tapered outwardly to its respective ends to provide the necessary spring action for runners 13, 14.

The three runners 12, 13, 14, and their supports 17 are interchangeable. Each runner comprises a shoe 16 having spaced parallel steel plate sides 11 connected at their upper portions by a steel block 19 inserted between and welded to them, and a blade of square section steel bar curved to a suitable profile which is mounted between the lower ends of sides 11 so as to set on one edge and welded to sides 11. Blade 15 and shoe 16 are chromium plated.

Each runner is pivotally mounted in and between a pair of supports 17, such as aluminum alloy angles, upon a horizontal pivot pin 18 extending through angles 17 and shoe 16.

Angle supports 17 of runners 13, 14, are fastened to the underside of runner plank 8 near its ends. Rudder runner 12 is fastened to rudder bar 21' transversely thereof. Rudder bar 2% is suificiently long to accommodate the feet of the helmsman.

Rudder bar 2%, carrying rudder runner 12 is pivotally connected to hull plank 5 by vertical pivot pin 21 and its bushing 24 contained in bore 23 extending through hull plank 5 and rudder bar 2; and two pressure plates 22, 22, of linen based phenolic resin, are respectively secured, in opposed relation, to hull plank 5 and rudder bar 20 in the pivotal region to provide a bearing surface. Pivot pin 21 is provided with a flat head and is screw threaded at its upper end to receive a nut to adjustably secure hull plank 5 and rudder bar 20 together, these details not being shown.

Bore 23 is located in rudder bar 20 forward of horizontal pin 18 upon which rudder runner 12 is pivoted, as shown in FIG. 6. This lag of runner pin 18 aft of vertical pin 21, which may be as little as one inch, upon removing steering pressure from rudder bar 20 causes rudder runner 12 to maintain the direction it held and consequently the ice boat to maintain the course held when the steering pressure was removed. In effect, rudder runner 12 is towed when steering pressure is removed, and loses its steering function. The ability of the ice boat to maintain its course when rudder bar 20 is left unattended, as by inadvertantly lifting the feet therefrom, is particularly advantageous When a change of course would then involve collision or other hazard.

The sail trimming arrangement comprises a single part sheet, preferably a stainless steel Wire rope 35, control lever 25 and its angle supports 26, 26', fulcrum 311, block 27 upon which said supports are mounted, secured to hull plank 5, two sheaves 37, 38, mounted in hull plank 5, and fairlead 36 associated with sheave 37.

Angle supports 26, 26' are in all respects identical with angle supports 17 of the runners. Control lever 25 is pivotally mounted between angle supports 26, 26' on pivot pin 31), extending through a bore at the foot of lever 25, and through said angle supports, said pin 3%) constituting the fulcrum of control lever 25. Supports 26, 26' are mounted on block 27 to gain further height of fulcrum. Block 27 could be dispensed with if a special pair of angles having the required height were substituted. Control lever 25 is located forward of seat 13 within reach of the operator seated thereon.

Sheet 35 is shackled or otherwise secured to boom 50 near its after end, then passes through fairlead 36 associated with sheave 37, over sheave 37, thence under hull plank 5, spaced therefrom, to and over sheave 38, to control lever 25 to which it is secured at 29 just below handle 28.

Mast 49 is made from aluminum alloy tubing produced by the manufacturers in diameters affording sliding telescopic fit, in three lineal telescoping sections 41, 42, 43. Diametrically opposed U shaped notches 70, 71, are formed in the lower ends of the top and middle mast sections 43, 42, which respectively engage and straddle rods 72, 73, riveted to and diametrically extending transversely through middle and bottom mast sections 42, 41, establishing the selected limit of overlap of the sections when telescopically united, and preventing lateral displacement. A mast step 44 receiving the foot of mast 40 is mounted on hull plank 5 at a position aft of said steering rudder bar and sufiiciently forward of control lever 25 to provide clearance between mast 40 and control lever 25 when the latter is in its extreme forward position.

The standing rigging comprises two shrouds 46, 47, and a forestay 45. Shrouds 46, 47 together with an intervening bight 86 are formed in a continuous length of wire rope (FIG. 11). Eyes 87, 87', are secured to said wire rope, each about a thimble, at positions constituting the upper ends of the shrouds, and eye 88 is secured to the portion of said wire rope between eyes 87, 87 which provides bight 86, midway thereof, for the support of forestay 45.

Tube 89 is extended transversely through and riveted to mast 40 at the position of eyes 87, 87' when shrouds 46, 47 are set. After sail 55 has been set on mast 40, tube 90 is inserted through tube 89, its ends projecting therefrom, eyes 87, 87 of shrouds 46, 47 are respectively slipped over the ends of tube 90, between inner and outer washers 93, 94, and cotter pins 95 are respectively inserted through holes at the ends of tube 90. In the foregoing procedure bight 86 is kept forward of mast 4t 'Forestay 45 at its upper extremity is attached to eye 88 on bight 86 by forming an eye, about a thimble, passing through eye 83. The lower end of forestay 45 is provided with a turnbuckle 92. The lower ends of shrouds 46, 47, are secured respectively to the ends of runner plank 8. Turnbuckle 92 is secured to the forward end of hull plank 5. The entire standing rigging is adjusted as to tension by turnbuckle 92.

Boom 50 is of the plank on edge type. It is held in position on mast 40 by a short rod 51 having a forked end, of a general oarlock form, pivotally mounted in a gore longitudinally formed in the forward end of boom Sail 55 is of a generally triangular form with a pronounced roach. A pocket 56 is formed along its luff which receives mast '40, and a pocket 57 along its foot 81 which receives boom 50. It has four vertically displaced pockets 58 which receive battens 60. Sail 55 is supported on a hook secured near the top of the mast 40, which receives a conventional eye formed in the head of sail 55. Mast 40 is inserted in pocket 56 and the head of sail 55 placed on said hook near the mast top, before mast 40 is stepped. A shock cord downhaul 62 is secured to the forward end of boom 50 and secured to mast 40 below boom 56 to keep the luff of sail 55 taut.

The sides of pocket 56 taper from mast 40 to sail 55, (FIG. 9). A batten seat 61 of aluminum alloy is attached to the after side of mast 40, centrally thereof, in line with each batten pocket 58, and an opening is formed in the after end of pocket 56 connecting it with batten pocket 58 thus permitting batten 60 to be inserted through the opening into batten seat 61. The after end of each batten pocket 58, at leach 82 of sail 55, is also open. Battens 60 project from leach 82 and are held in position by shock cord 32 which spans lengthwise, the opening in batten pocket 58 at leach 82 and engages a vertical groove formed in the after edge of batten 60, thus holding sail 55 taut and forcing batten 60 against batten seat 61. Sail 55 is held taut on boom 50 by shock cord 59 secured at the top of boom pocket 57 which engages a transverse groove formed in the after end of boom 50.

The three runners 12, 13 and 14 are mounted at positions whereby their respective pivotal points will indicate the points of an equilateral triangle, and the position of seat 19 which carries all the weight of the helmsman except his legs which extend forwardly, is located so that the center of gravity of the ice boat plus its one man load, will be located in close coincidence with the center of the said equilateral triangle. The term pivotal point as used herein means the center point of the cross-section 4, of horizontal pivot pin 18 taken midway thereof. The position of rudder runner 12 upon hull plank 5 is such that rudder bar 29 will be within reach of the feet of the operator seated upon said seat 10.

The area and shape of sail 55 is designed, and the fore and aft position of mast 40 on hull plank 5 is selected, so that the center of effort of sail 55 will lie in a plane perpendicular to hull plank 5 and transverse thereof, which is in close coincidence with the like vertical plane or planes of the said centers of gravity and of said equilateral triangle. Small circle 65 in FIG. 2 representing an actual diameter of approximately one inch, contains the said center of gravity of boat plus load and the center of said equilateral triangle. FIG. 7 indicates the center of effort of the sail 55 at 67, line 66 indicating the vertical plane substantially common to the center of efi'ort of the sail and the centers of gravity and of said equilateral tn'angle'.

Runners 13, 14 are attached near the ends of runner plank 8. To achieve the said equilateral triangular arrangement of the pivotal points of the runners, rudder bar 2t) is mounted on hull plank 5 at a position whereby the distance between the pivotal point of rudder runner 12 and the respective pivotal points of runners 13 and 14, will equal the distance between the pivotal points of runners 13 and 14.

Maximum vertical and horizontal stability is achieved by the foregoing close coincidence of the center of gravity of boat plus load and the center of the equilateral triangular arrangement of the pivotal points of the three runners, and the close coincidence of the vertical transverse planes containing the said centers and the center of effort of the sail.

Referring to the control lever sheeting arrangement hereinbefore described: the movement of control lever aft in the direction of trimming in sheet 35 progressively increases its effectiveness by reason of the consequent reduction of the angle between lever 25 and sheet 35, the apex of which is the point of connection 29.

Raising the position of fulcrum 30 above sheave 38 has the effect of reducing said angle to an extent commensurate with the height of fulcrum 30, thus initially creating an effectiveness which otherwise would not have accrued until lever 25 had been moved further aft.

The ratio of the force exerted by the operator on lever 25 to the force exerted by lever 25 upon sheet 35, decreases as lever 25 is moved aft.

In the prevailing ice boat sheeting arrangement, wherein a sheet tackle composed of a number of blocks placed alternately on the boom and hull and a sheet rope passing through them over their sheaves is employed, the ratio of the force exerted upon the sheet rope by the operator to the force exerted by the tackle upon the boom, remains constant throughout the operation of trimming in the sail.

In sailing an ice boat to windward, the sail is trimmed in very closely, frequently to a position where boom 50 is almost directly over the median of hull plank 5. The pull required on the sheet to trim in the sail to its proper close position in sailing to windward, progressively increases as the sail is drawn in. Under these conditions, the greater effectiveness of the control lever sheeting arrangement, derived from its ratio of forces hereinbefore mentioned, enables the sail to be trimmed much more rapidly and easily than would be the case if the prevailing ice boat sheeting arrangement were used; This also applies to the matter of holding the sheet after it has been trimmed in, which requires a considerable pull upon the sheet which frequently must be maintained for a considerable period of time. To relieve the need for such holding of the sheet, it is common to fit a jamming device on the rope sheet of the prevailing ice boat sheeting arrangement, which is not necessary in said control lever sheeting arrangement. The latter sheeting arrangement also eliminates the snarls of sheet rope, jamming of rope in the blocks due to icing in the course of sailing, and the job of stowing the considerable length of surplus rope that remains after the sail has been closely trimmed which easily becomes tangled and inoperative, which are inherent in the prevailing ice boat sheeting arrangement.

In a prototype of the ice boat shown and described herein which was built and sailed, the following pertinent specifications were followed: hull plank 5, runner plank 8 and boom 50 were each five feet in length; mast sections 41, 42, 43, each five feet in length, overlap one foot and length of mast assembled, thirteen feet; sail area 35 square feet.

All the parts of theprototype fitted in a container measuring x 1 X 9".

The prototype was sailed in winds normally of 15 to 20 knots and at speeds up to 30 knots.

The drawings herein show one embodiment of my invention and changes and modifications therein may be made without departing from the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A midget ice boat comprising a hull structure composed of a single fore and aft hull plank and a transverse runner plank removably fastened at its central section to the underside of said hull plank near its after end at a right angle thereto in a T formation, a support carrying a side runner pivotally connected thereto for vertical movement, fastened to the underside of said runner plank transversely thereof near each end thereof, a steering rudder bar, a support carrying a rudder runner pivotally connected thereto for vertical movement, fastened to the underside of said steering rudder bar transversely thereof, said steering rudder bar being pivotally connected for horizontal movement to the underside of said hull plank transversely thereof and forwardly of said side runners, at a position, measured from the respective pivotal points of said side runners, substantially equal to the distance between the pivotal points of said side runners, whereby the respective pivotal points of said three runners will be substantially equidistant from each other, said steering rudder bar projecting outwardly from each side of said hull plank adapting it to be engaged by the feet of the operator for steering purposes, a seat mounted on said hull plank at a position thereon whereby the center of gravity of said ice boat plus its load will be in close coincidence with the center of the equilateral triangle indicated by the said equidistant location of the pivotal points of the three runners, and whereby the relative positions of said seat and steering rudder bar are such as to place said steering rudder bar within reach of the feet of the operator seated upon said seat said hull plank tapering forwardly from said seat to provide springing action for said rudder runner and said runner plank tapering outwardly from the respective sides of said hull plank to its respective ends to provide springing action for said side runners, a mast constructed of separate tubular sections of progressively smaller diameters enabling said sections to be united by telescopic overlapping, coacting means in said sections limiting the extent of overlap and preventing lateral displacement of united sections, a mast step receiving the foot of said mast mounted on said hull plank, a boom, a sail, and a sheeting arrangement comprising a single part sheet and a sheet control lever having a fulcrum comprising a single pivot element extending across the path of movement of said control lever mounted at a high point above said hull plank, said sheet being connected at one end to said boom and at the other end to a high point on said control lever, said sheet leading aft to its connection on said control lever from a low point above said hull plank, said control lever being located forward of said seat within reach of the operator seated thereon, and said mast being located aft of said steering rudder bar and sutficiently forward of said control lever to provide clearance for the latter.

2. A combination in accordance with claim 1 wherei said sail has a pocket formed along its luff receiving said mast, a pocket formed along its foot receiving said boom and a plurality of vertically spaced batten pockets extending from the leach of said sail to said mast pocket, openings in said mast pocket communicating with said batten pockets and openings in the after ends of said batten pockets, said mast having a batten seat secured to its after side in line with each of said batten pockets, battens received by said batten pockets and batten seats, said battens when placed in said batten pockets and batten seats projecting from the after ends of said batten pockets, and means at the leach of said sail near the ends of said batten pockets securing said battens in said batten pockets and batten seats when inserted therein and releasing them for withdrawal therefrom when desired.

3. A combination in accordance with claim 1 wherein the pivotal point of connection of said rudder bar to said hull plank is located forward of the pivotal connection of said rudder runner to its support to an extent enabling said rudder runner to drag behind said pivotal connection of said rudder bar when steering pressure is removed from said rudder bar in the course of sailing said ice boat, whereby said rudder runner will hold its direction when said pressure is removed from said rudder bar.

4. A combination in accordance with claim 1 wherein the design of said sail and the location of said mast on said hull plank are such that the center of effort of said sail is substantially in alignment with vertical projections of said center of gravity of the ice boat plus its load and of the center of said equilateral triangle indicated by the pivotal points of the three runners.

5. A combination in accordance with claim 1 wherein the standing rigging of said ice boat comprises a forestay and two shrouds, said shrouds together with a bight between their upper ends being formed in a continuous length of wire rope provided with eyes constituting the upper ends of said shrouds and an eye at the lower end of said bight receiving the upper end of said forestay, said shroud eyes being detachably secured to said mast, the lower ends of said shrouds being attached to the respective ends of said runner plank, the lower end of said forestay having a turnbuckle attached to said hull plank, and the tension of said shrouds and forestay being adjusted by said tumbuckle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 736,386 Hansen Aug. 18, 1903 947,731 Couder Jan. 25, 1910 2,077,685 Gerhardt Apr. 20, 1937 2,238,464 Fletcher Apr. 15, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 122,083 Austria Mar. 25, 1931 426,957 Great Britain Apr. 11, 1935 

